57-year-old man who reported stolen Vicodin under investigation

ELYRIA -- A 57-year-old man who reported more than 400 Vicodin pills stolen from his home has sparked an investigation as the means by which he acquired the pain killer pills.

The West Avenue man told Elyria police Thursday that someone cracked his safe and made off with the "400-500 Vicodin pills," police said.

The man's "safe" -- a thin metal filing cabinet -- had been pried open, police said. Nothing else appeared to be taken from the residence, said Capt. Chris Costantino.

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When questioned about the large quantity, the man became belligerent and told police he was not a drug dealer. He said he receives 60 pills per month from the government and stockpiled them because he believes the government was going to shutdown.

He told police he took one or two pills per day and saved the rest. The answer raised questions, as reporting officer Garrett Longacre stated there would be no pills left if he took two a day for a month and only 30 left if he took one a day.

The man would have to only take one pill a day for more than a year to stockpile the amount he said was stolen.

There were no signs of forced entry. The man and his 76-year-old mother argued about whether the door had been left unlocked while the family attended a funeral in Lorain, police said.

Police are trying to determine who the man may have told about his stockpile.

No arrests have been made, police said.

"The whole incident is under investigation," Costantino said.

The department is investigating both the burglary and whether the pills were legally obtained. The department is also trying to determine whether it is legal to stockpile prescriptions in such a manner.

"It is certainly something that has caught our attention," he said. "Any results of that investigation, whether they lead to charges or not, it is too early to tell."